Still Young so Make the Most of It
by kuku88
Summary: "Come on, Buttercup; just for tonight—let's forget about the adult stuff. Stop thinking about all of that... And let's think about having fun." Buttercup's been stressed lately, and it doesn't help that her sisters bug her about her love life. But when she gets stuck at the store and runs into Butch, can he get her to act less like an adult and more like a kid again? Rated T, R&R!


_MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Or happy Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or whatever it is that you celebrate! :D_

_Thank you all for another amazing year. I know I was kind of on-and-off on this site, but I'm working hard to keep it going. Plus, I really do like reading all of your reviews! Can you believe "Hung Up on You" has over 750 reviews and gets searched up on Google!? *flails*_

_And yes I did indeed draw the cover. You can find it somewhere in my DeviantART gallery (considering idk when you are reading this story and if the cover's been buried underneath more drawings) under the same name as this fic~_

_Thanks to you all once again for the amazing year. I can't say much more without sounding mushy. ;w;_

_Spend time with your friends and family, enjoy your presents/food, and have 2014 end on a high note before 2015 rolls in! I hope you're all having a holly, jolly Christmas, with lots of carolling, presents, food, mistletoe, snow, and spending plenty of time with friends and family! Or at least be enjoying yourself. This is a magical day of the year so don't forget to have fun! Look forward to more from me too! _

_Enjoy this Christmas one-shot with the greens (hehe now I've done the reds, blues, AND greens!). I did first-person POV since I haven't done it in awhile. They're all adults here. Hope you guys don't think they're too OOC. But yeah, read on and enjoy! Don't forget to review; that'd be a nice present haha. ;)_

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Powerpuff Girls; they belong to Craig McCracken and Cartoon Network. I just own this story, and my OC's._

_Merry Christmas, you guys. QwQ_

* * *

><p>Puffs of air escaped my groaning lips as I dragged my numb feet through the snow. My toes felt like they were going to drop off any second, and my fingers felt frostbitten beneath my gloves. Tons of bags and boxes were in my arms, with me trying to maintain balance. The air above was thick and cold; snowflakes fell in heavy clouds. It was too windy to fly; besides, I wouldn't be able to navigate anyway.<p>

I stopped in front of a store, squinting through the snow to make out the words. It was a coffee shop, and I was supposed to meet my sisters here. "Great," I muttered to myself, "I could really use a coffee." So I pushed my way through the door and shook off the snow on my boots.

The first thing that hit me was the scent of coffee; it smelled fresh and warm. People sat in tables around the café, chatting excitedly as they patted shopping bags. My eyes searched the room before it pinpointed a group of girls standing behind the counter. The first girl who caught sight of me waved excitedly, her blue eyes bright. She was wearing a fashionable blue coat lined with fake white fur, and her blond hair was tied in pigtails. She had on knee-high boots. I never dress that fashionably.

I waved back, trying not to drop a box. I picked my way through the crowd and made it toward my sisters, feeling like a circus act.

"Buttercup; you're late!" exclaimed a redheaded girl with pink eyes. Her long hair was pulled back in a ponytail, held in place with a big red bow. She was wearing a pink coat.

"It's nice to see you too, Blossom." I rolled my eyes and set the things in my arms down. "What are you ordering?"

"I'm having a cappuccino," the blond girl said brightly, holding up the cup. "They make such good ones here."

"Thanks, Bubbles," the male behind the counter said, smirking as he leaned forward. He raised an eyebrow at me, purple eyes teasing. "So what are you ordering, BC?"

"I'll take a regular old cup of coffee, thanks. With cream." I passed him the cash. "And make it quick, Bat."

"Of course." Bat took the money and went to prepare our hot drinks.

"So," Blossom said, leaning against the counter, "the Professor wants us home by 6:30."

"That's a little early, isn't it?" A girl with long blond hair in pigtails furrowed her brow. Her yellow outfit looked straight out of a magazine. "I still have so much Christmas shopping to do."

"You know how the Professor is, Banana. He's very insistent on family." Blossom shrugged her delicate shoulders.

"Speaking of family, how are you and Brick doing?" Another girl with bright orange eyes smirked.

Blossom blushed. "We're fine, thank you, Bliss."

"I heard that you and Brick are having a baby. Congratulations, Blossom!" Bubbles cheered happily.

Banana glanced at her cheerful sister. "And you and Boomer are doing well, correct?"

"Yes. We're settling in together, and we'll have our own studios. I'm so happy Boomer proposed to me!" Bubbles sighed dreamily. "It was straight out of a fairytale."

Blossom turned to a girl with brown hair in a ponytail and soft purple eyes. "What about you, Bunny? How are you and Bandit?"

"We're fine," the purple Puff said shyly. "He's a very sweet boyfriend."

Bliss smiled. "Braker's been great too. Ever since we hooked up at that party a few months ago. He's actually a pretty romantic guy—if I ignore his playboy antics."

"And Blaster's always been a sweetheart." Banana tugged at one of her pigtails, before turning her yellow eyes on me. "How about you, Buttercup? Decided on your guy yet?"

I gagged. "Just because Butch is my counterpart doesn't mean I have to date him." When I saw their looks, I rolled my eyes. "And no, Mitch isn't my date either."

"You have to have _someone _you like_. _Christmas isn't exactly a day to be lonely," Bubbles tried to say.

I cut her off. "Jesus, guys! We've been on countless lonely Christmases and still enjoyed ourselves. I don't need a man to bring joy into my life."

"That's not what Bubbles meant," Blossom replied. "We're talking about a different joy."

I held back an annoyed groan. "Let's talk about something else, okay? I'm tired and I want to drink something. We're finally together after not seeing each for a few months. So let's just enjoy it, alright?"

"...Alright." Blossom nodded at the others and they started chatting about other stuff for my sake. We found a table and sat down; Bat later came round with our drinks.

"After this, let's go finish up our shopping together," Bubbles said, stirring her cappuccino. She was smiling brightly.

I took another sip at my own drink. "Sure, I guess." I shrugged.

"You sound eager," Bliss teased. She nudged me playfully. "So, what did you get me?"

I smirked back. "So not telling."

"Aww, c'mon. That's no fair," she whined back.

Blossom rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Bliss," she warned, although her tone was playful.

"Okay, okay." Bliss smiled. "I'll try and be patient."

I finished my drink. "Any of you ready to go shopping?"

My sisters shared excited looks.

* * *

><p>The doors opened automatically for us as we stepped into the shop. The sky was darkening, but the amount of shoppers hadn't slowed. Thanks to the fact we Powerpuff Girls can fly, we hadn't needed to find a parking space. The only thing I want to complain about is the fact that I still needed to carry all my stuff when going into the store or flying around outside. Then I needed to get them all labelled with stickers so no one would think I stole the items.<p>

"Ooh, doesn't this dress look absolutely adorable?" Bubbles let out a squeal as she practically danced toward a clothing rack. She pulled a light-blue dress off; its skirt was short and it had white polka-dots decorating it.

"Bubbles, you're not a teenager anymore." I rolled my eyes as I pushed my hair out of my eyes.

She pouted just slightly, puffing out her cheeks the way she does. "That was mean; I'm not that old yet. I think I can pull this look off; my figure is okay, isn't it?"

"Of course it is," answered Blossom, shooting me a look. I shrugged in response as Blossom continued: "If you want it, we could buy it."

Bubbles put it into the shopping cart. We were sharing three carts. "I'll pay for it myself." She smiled. "I want your presents for me to be a surprise."

I glanced out the doors we had just entered from, past the room with carts and things and to the actual doors that led to the outside. The snow was still falling steadily, and it seemed like it was actually getting heavier. "Uhh, do you guys think there'll be a blizzard soon?"

"There hasn't been one this entire month. I don't think a blizzard will start now," Banana replied, looking up from studying a pair of golden high-heels.

I frowned. "I don't know... The snow seems pretty heavy to me."

"Let's not think about that now," Bliss said, gently pushing me away from the doors. "We have shopping to do!"

We agreed to split up and meet back at the McDonald's the store had. We could grab another drink—but no food, as Blossom had said, or we'd have no stomach for the Professor's family reunion dinner.

My first stop was the book section, where I ran into my sisters except for Blossom, Banana, and Bubbles. "Are you all here to get a book for Bloss?" I asked.

Bliss nodded, patting the shopping basket she'd grabbed. "Any recommendations?"

I shook my head. "You know me; not much of a reader," I stated.

Bunny bit her lip softly. "I was going to buy her the newest edition of this mystery series that she reads," she said gently.

"We won't steal your idea," I promised, "we wouldn't want Blossom getting the same presents for Christmas."

"Maybe I could get her something else besides a book." Bliss ran a hand through her long brown hair. "Hmm... What would someone practical like Blossom want for Christmas?"

I shrugged as I plucked a random book form the shelf. I turned to Bunny, holding the novel up. "Has she read this one?"

"I don't think so." Bunny shook her head. "It just came out a month ago."

I flipped the book over and quickly skimmed the synopsis. It was about a girl who was looking for her long-lost brother, when she runs across a group of boys. When it turns out she has magical powers that commands the boys to her when she calls on them, she decides to use their powers to help her look for her brother. But one of them seems familiar, apparently... It seemed kind of dorky, stupid, and weird, but it seemed like the kind of thing Blossom might like...

I put it into my own shopping basket just as Bliss reappeared, holding up a long pink scarf, a red mug with a white heart on it, and a yellow-and-white sparkly dress. "The scarf and mug's for Blossom and the dress is for Banana," she explained.

"Have any of you gotten something for Bubbles? I got her perfume," I stated.

"A dress," Bunny answered promptly.

"I just got her a giant stuffed dog." Bliss suddenly grinned. "Get this—I even found a stuffed Boomer doll, so I got that for her too. Then I got a Bubbles doll for Boomer. Since you know, the RRB and PPG are famous enough to have dolls of us."

"How cute," I laughed. "I wish I saw that and thought to get that for them." I had already finished shopping for all of the Rowdyruff Boys—except for Butch; I had no idea what to get for him.

Bliss smirked. "I'm glad you didn't—otherwise it would've been repetitive."

"True that," I agreed.

We soon parted ways. I got Bliss a container designed to be a "party cannon"; it could store balloons and confetti and other party-related items. I ran into Blossom and asked her what she had gotten for Butch. She said she had gotten him a video game. Then she asked me about Him.

"Leather high-heeled boots," I answered. She thanked me and was off.

I continued to wander around. The store was quite crowded thanks to the holiday season, and the clerks were busy. They rushed around in elf hats, helping customers or organizing things. Banners and posters advertising sales on toys or clothes hung all around the store. It was a Townsville Christmas, alright—slightly commercial, but heartwarming too.

I was about to get a pair of silver pumps for Banana when I heard it. There was a loud thump outside, and I turned in surprise. The shoe section (which Banana had been looking through when we entered the store) was close to the store's entrance. To my shock, a giant pile of snow lay outside. The announcements came on as I stared at the sudden snow.

_**"'Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Please do not panic—this is a special snowstorm called a "blitz"-ard, and it is quite strong. As you may be able to see, there is a lot of snow outside. It is impossible to open the doors, let alone exit or enter the store. Please remain calm. We will be stuck here for a little bit, but the snow should soon come to pass.'"**_

"...This can't be happening," I muttered to myself. But it was. A giant "'blitz'-ard" was preventing me from leaving the goddamn store!

I rushed to find the others, and Blossom of course rose to become the voice of reason. "We'll be out before it's time for the family dinner," she promised. "We just need some time. We'll wait a little for the snow to calm down and then we can dig our way out for everyone. We are the Powerpuff Girls after all; there is no task too big for us to handle."

"Except the snow doesn't look like it'll let up," Bliss said, frowning. It wasn't usually Bliss didn't smile—when she didn't, the issue was usually really serious.

"It'll be fine," Blossom assured her. "It's a time of miracles; I'm sure we'll be okay."

"We could sure use a miracle now." Banana tapped her golden nails against her chin, staring out the door. "I'm almost done shopping."

Blossom seemed a little exasperated. "Don't worry girls; even if you finish your shopping, just find something to do in the store to pass the time. For example, I'll probably go to the book section and read."

She was right, I realized. Instead of panicking about the ordeal, I chimed in: "Blossom's right. Let's just call the Professor and let him know we'll be late."

Blossom seemed surprised but thankful that I was on her side. "Yes, let's do that..." She pulled out her phone and dialled his number. Then she waited.

"Well?" asked Bliss, after awhile of silence.

"...You're probably not going to like this," Blossom mumbled as she put her phone down. "The signal here isn't very good."

A collective groan rose from everyone within our group.

I held my hands up. "Okay, okay. Let's not lose hope here. We'll just split up, finish our shopping, and do something if the storm doesn't let up. We'll all keep looking for a good signal, alright?"

"Sounds reasonable," Banana agreed.

We all said our "see ya"'s and parted ways. As I passed stacks of sodas and other soft drinks, I nearly tripped over my untied boot laces. "Ouch!" I exclaimed, stumbling backwards. Somebody managed to catch me.

"You okay?" he asked gruffly.

_He. It's a he. _The thought registered in my brain and I blushed. I looked up, expecting a stranger... Well, what I got was "strange" all right. But it happened to be someone I know.

"YOU!" we both exclaimed, pointing fingers at one another.

"Butch!" I said, surprised. "What are you doing here!?"

"What does it look like I'm doing!? Shopping, duh—it's a store!" he shot back.

Covering up my embarrassment, I quickly shoved past him. "Whatever," I grumbled. "Just stay outta my way!"

"You're the one who stumbled!" he yelled at my back as I stalked off. You see, Butch and I weren't on such good terms at the time. Then again, when were we ever? I think it was because he messed up my shirt last week by splattering mud all over it. Still ticks me off a little when I think back to it.

I almost got away from him before the realization that I had lost a bag when I fell made me go back. I hoped he was gone, but no such luck. He was holding the bag, looking uncertain while pretending to nonchalantly lean against the shelf of sodas. "I'd like my bag, please," I called.

He looked up and his green eyes flashed with mischief. "You'll have to come get me first." He took off immediately. It was clear he had been debating whether or not to go after me and return the bag, but as soon as I asked him (I even said "please"!), he decided he'd make it a game of Keep-Away. He always did the opposite of what I wanted—in true Butch fashion.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, but I didn't have much of a choice. So I chased after him. "Get back here!" I hollered, flying behind him as we tore through the clothing section, toy section, book section, and food section. I felt embarrassed; I looked more like a 10-year-old kid than an adult as we raced around the store.

"You can't catch me!" he taunted constantly as he zipped from here to there and from there to here and back again. I finally did catch up to him at the place where they were selling all the Christmas decorations. Panting, I grabbed him by the hood and pulled him back toward me. He let out a startled yelp. "Hey! You're choking me!"

"Should've thought of that before making me chase you," I answered, stopping. Our green streaks vanished as we both stopped flying.

Butch pouted. "I was just having fun."

"I wasn't." I snatched the gift bag back, relieved to see that it wasn't crumpled or damaged or anything.

"You can be such a bore, BC. Stop being such a stick-in-the-mud. You're not 80 yet; we're still young," he complained. He grabbed my wrist, and despite my protesting, he dragged me deeper into the shelves of Christmas decorations. "Let's enjoy the view."

"What view?" I spluttered, trying to pull away from his iron grip. "It's just a bunch of stupid decorations. And I happen to be insulted by what you said; I'd rather go before I decide to punch you. I'm trying to be the civilized adult here, not an '80-year-old grandma' or whatever."

"Where," he said dramatically, "is your sense of Christmas spirit?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. I left it back at home. If you let me, I'll go and get it."

Butch shot me an amused look. "Nice try, Buttercup; but we both know that blitz-ard is keeping us from going anywhere. So we might as well enjoy ourselves."

I swallowed back a retort. Butch was right; the blitz-ard _was_ preventing anyone from going home. He was also right about making the most of our time stuck at the store, but I wasn't sure I wanted to do that with _him_. Still, despite my better judgement, I sighed and caved in. "Alright, fine. I'll spend the day with you till we can go."

Butch's signature smirk appeared on his face. He looked a little too eager for my taste. "Awesome! I'll show you how to have fun, Butterbabe—you won't regret it. For the most part."

"I doubt it." Still, I couldn't help but smile. His eagerness was contagious. I hoped he was right and I _wouldn't_ regret it after all.

"Check it out, BC!" Butch stopped dragging me and grabbed an elf hat, which even had a pair of elf ears. He put it on and smirked, "How do I look?"

"Like Santa's little helper!" I couldn't help but chuckle.

He smirked. "I got you to smile. Not so grumpy now, are you?"

"I can't help it," I replied with as much sarcasm as possible, "you just looked so stupid."

Butch poked me in the forehead, sticking his tongue out. "Watch your smart mouth—I'm pretty tough."

"I can take you," I said airily, smirking back.

"I hint a challenge in your tone!" he exclaimed, grabbing a plastic silver sword. He thrust it forward. "En guarde, vile woman!"

I rolled my eyes and grabbed the tip of the sword, easily pulling it out of his grip. "Come on, don't be stupid."

"Can't we have a little fun?" he whined, settling down on a shelf that could serve as a seat.

"We're _adults_ now, Butch. We're not two 14-year-olds playing around in the store anymore."

Butch leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "Never stopped me." He raised an eyebrow as he met my gaze. "I'm not married or dating anybody or any of that stuff. I have a lot of freedom. And from what I've heard, you're not dating either."

I blushed when he mentioned the "not married or dating" part. "Yeah, but we're still older than 18 by now. Grow up."

"Excuse me, fair maiden," he began as he stood up with a dramatic flourish only Butch could make look classy, "but I do believe you have insulted my great looks and charm."

"Honey, if you had any 'looks or charm', I would've noticed by now," I teased.

He crossed his arms. "Hey, that hurt." But a smile quickly tickled his lips. "But at least I made you act less like a grown-up and more like a kid. Come on, Buttercup; just for tonight—let's forget about the adult stuff. Stop thinking about romance and taxes and cars and housing and money and stuff... And let's think about having _fun_."

I paused and thought about what he had said. It was true that the past few months had been hard for me. I had broken up with Pat after I had found him cheating on me, and I was having financial issues. I've never been a Math whiz; all these taxes and the problems of housing/having a car was driving me nuts. I had been incredibly stressed—I guess that's why I agreed to hang out with Butch. I had wanted to blow off steam, and Butch was always fun to be around despite how stupid and arrogant and cocky and insulting he could be.

"So what do you say, BC? Do you want to rewind the clock a little and pretend we're teens again?" Butch looked at me expectantly. There was a 50/50 chance I would either accept his offer or turn it down.

The thought tumbled around in my brain for a little longer. Then I sighed, "Okay."

He let out a cheer. "Woo-hoo! Let's have the time of our lives while we still can!"

"Hey, I'm not 80 yet, y'know," I shot back, grinning as I quoted him from earlier.

"True that," he answered, also grinning. "But just for tonight, we are going to let ourselves loose—and in the most unexpected place ever: the store!" He made a grand gesture with his arms.

I laughed, "Well, it sure beats getting drunk at the bar." A sparkly green ornament bounced right into my hands. I looked up and saw Butch holding a bundle of ornaments.

"Catch!" he yelled as he threw them.

"Whoa, slow down!" I dove here and there as I caught the items. I felt annoyed at first, but that quickly dissolved as I started laughing. I wasn't even bothered when Butch teased me for missing a couple of the ornaments! I didn't let it show though; I tossed the things back with as much speed as I could muster. "Payback time, mister!"

After that, we ran around and tried out all kinds of things. We pressed every "try me" button and a jumble of mixed noises and Christmas carols rang out throughout the section. Most shoppers were too worried about the blitz-ard to keep shopping, so we had the section mostly to ourselves. There were a few odd looks from the occasional customers, but I quickly ended up brushing them all off with Butch's help.

We danced to the music and we laughed as we dug around for the ugliest Christmas sweaters we could find. We tried some free eggnog and dared each other to drink as much as possible. We were almost kicked out before Butch paid for a carton. We played with toys that were out on display, read books, and messed around with displays. We even scared a few customers—even though Butch was a good guy now, he still hadn't lost his sense of mischief. And I have to admit that it was fun... It was the _most_ fun I'd had in quite awhile. Butch's excitement was getting to me; he was like a little kid and a little puppy mixed into one giant package. But he was still an adult like I was—he just didn't grow up as fast.

We were reading books in the silliest voices we could do when it happened. The lights flickered a couple of times. I looked up, concerned. "What was that?" A bit of the playful feeling vanished.

"Probably nothing," Butch replied. He continued to read: "_'And then Wendy'_—who still names their kids Wendy?—_'entered the dark room, calling out for Santa Claus...'_" He was reading it in a thick accent of unknown origin.

Just as he said "dark room", the lights went off. The entire store was engulfed in darkness. I pulled out my phone and checked the time: I almost panicked—it was already 4:50! We were supposed to go meet the Professor by 6:30. And the signal was _still_ bad.

Butch seemed unconcerned, as usual. "Aww, and I was just getting to the good part. Hey, Buttercup; shine your phone here will y—?"

"Butch, this is serious!" I cried. "It's been almost an hour and the storm still hasn't let up. We have to meet the Professor before 6:30 and it's already 4:50—4:53, to be exact. Plus now the power's out!" My tone was rising slowly as I threw my hands into the air. "Forget the stupid book!"

"...Jeez, okay. You don't have to get so high-strung about it." Was it just me, or did I detect a hint of hurt in his voice?

"This is serious," I repeated, my voice tight.

"I know that," he answered defensively, "I'm not entirely stupid, okay? Just 'cause I like to have fun doesn't mean I always act like a kid—"

"That's not what I meant—"

"Yeah, well it sure felt like it."

I didn't reply for awhile. I felt bad for the way I had brushed him off, but I had other things to worry about. Butch continued to read by himself with his phone as a flashlight—silently this time, but I wasn't anymore. "This isn't good..."

"You said it," he agreed, "Wendy just found out Santa's been kidnapped by an angry leprechaun—"

"No! I meant the situation _we're_ in!" I exclaimed, exasperated.

Butch sighed loudly as he got up and set the book down. I bet he even rolled his eyes. "Fine. If you're so worried, let's go find the others. My brothers are in here somewhere too."

Again that guilty feeling returned, but I was relieved Butch was finally taking things seriously. I hesitated as he walked off, only a dark silhouette along the blackness. I finally settled on grabbing the book and shoving it into my shopping basket before following him.

We wandered from the book section to the clothing section. "They're not anywhere around here," Butch reported.

"Let's head to the food area," I suggested.

"Good idea—I'm starving."

I smacked him lightly and turned on my heel. I could hear him grumbling as I approached the produce section. Our siblings weren't anywhere around there either. "They're not here!" I groaned.

"Let's go back to the Christmas stuff; maybe they'll be there," Butch offered quietly. He sounded hesitant, as if he wasn't sure how I'd react to his suggestion.

I nodded. "Okay," I agreed quietly.

Butch led me back. When we got there and we searched the area thrice, I was on the verge of shouting. I know what you're thinking—tough Buttercup shouldn't care so much, but I did. It was a family tradition to have dinner with the Professor sometime in December before Christmas, whether with guests or not. It had been more than three months since I last saw my father, and it had been awhile since I met up with my sisters too. The thought of being late and stuck at a store thanks to a stupid "blitz-ard" was driving me nuts.

Butch seemed to sense my unease, because he took me to a quiet area. "Buttercup, we'll find them. Promise."

"Thanks." I cursed myself for showing such a large sign of weakness in front of Butch, but thankfully he wasn't teasing me about it. He might later, but for now everything was good between us. I was even thankful to him! He was helping me look for my friends and family, as well as putting up with a side of me he hardly ever saw.

"No problem." Through the darkness, I could make out his shining green eyes and his signature grin. "Things will be fine; you'll see."

"I hope you're right." I felt my stomach tighten. "If we're late, then Christmas will feel ruined..."

"It won't come to that, I promise," he replied, grabbing my hands.

I stared at him. "Butch... What are you doing?"

He didn't reply; just leaned forward in the dark. All I could see were his shining green eyes coming closer and closer toward me before they closed. There was a brief moment where I thought about turning away, but in the very end I stayed, rooted where I was. I don't know if it was shock or fear, but I didn't move. Not back, nor forward.

But then his lips locked with mine.

Sparks passed between us. I felt as if electricity was tingling within me, waiting to explode like a firecracker. I reached forward and tangled my fingers into his hair. He tasted a little like mint, and smelled like a mix between men's cologne and pine. It was fresh. There were noises all around us, but they drowned away as I became aware of only _us_.

When we pulled away for air and I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see the lights back on. That must've been the whirring noise I heard. I was even more surprised to see shocked eyes staring at us.

_Our siblings!_

I quickly sat up and dusted myself off, my face flushing red in embarrassment. Butch looked equally awkward as he helped me up. We stared at each other. Then we stared at our siblings, who stared back in shock.

"...Uh, hi?" Butch finally said.

Somehow that triggered an onslaught of words and questions.

"What are you doing!?" demanded Brick, stepping forward.

"Nothing," Butch answered, putting his hands up. Before he could continue, more questions popped up.

"Buttercup, are you okay?" Boomer.

"I didn't do anything bad to her!" Butch said, rolling his eyes. His protest was lost among the other voices.

"Did you guys know you were kissing _each other_?" Braker.

"Does this mean you're dating now?" Bubbles.

"You'll have to forgive our brother." Bandit.

"You should know kissing in public means anyone can see you!" Blossom.

More questions and statements poured out into the air, but my patience wore thin. I stomped my foot down and created a loud, smashing noise. The floor cracked just a little beneath my super-powered foot. "Guys; _guys_! Everything is fine, okay? Go wait at the front of the shop and I'll talk to you all later. We still have the Professor's dinner to prepare for, and we don't have much time. But at least we will still be able to make it on time after all. The storm's stopped and we can clear a passageway from all this snow; we should be able to call him soon."

As they mumbled amongst themselves and left, I turned my back on Butch. He stood there awkwardly, before saying, "Does that include me?"

I couldn't bring myself to look at him. "...You should go too," I said quietly. I didn't think I'd be able to stay calm with him around.

"Buttercup... What happened? What about that spark? Didn't you feel it? What about having _fun_—?" He sounded exasperated.

"I did have fun with you—really, I did. But Butch, that wasn't...wasn't..." I struggled to find the right word. I couldn't say it felt wrong, because it hadn't. Somehow, kissing Butch had felt perfect. And I _had_ felt the spark. But I couldn't bring myself to admit it. "It wasn't anything," I finally said lamely.

Butch looked disappointed. "Oh... I see. I guess we have different definitions of 'anything' then," he muttered.

I felt sick. "I'm _sorry_, Butch! Don't act like—"

"Like what? That I was having fun? That I can still be a kid despite actually being an adult? That I enjoyed the kiss? That I liked it? That I like _you_?" Butch stopped himself.

"Butch..."

He sighed. "Because you're right. I _can't_ act like I felt that way."

I looked away, feeling bad even though he was agreeing with me. But then his next words shocked me like an unexpected electrical shock.

"I can't _act_ that way because I actually felt that way," Butch finished.

I looked. He sounded sincere. There wasn't a trace of mockery in his voice, and his face wasn't of the usual Butch expression: no cocky smirk or teasing smile. He looked serious. I made myself really look at him; like _really_ look at him. I took in his features. His forest-green eyes, his spiky black hair that probably needed to be combed and cut yet still looked good, his muscles beneath his hoodie, and his actually solemn expression.

"Well?" he finally asked when I didn't say anything.

"Well what?" I didn't like how harsh my voice sounded. I winced.

"Well, how do _you_ feel, Buttercup? What did that kiss really mean to you?"

His question caught me by surprise, even though it probably shouldn't have. I hesitated.

Butch's face crumbled. "...I see." He turned around and was about to take off.

Before I could stop myself, I grabbed his wrist. "Wait!" I managed to say.

He turned in surprise and stared at me expectantly.

"...I'm sorry," I mumbled, feeling my cheeks heat up. "I can't...I can't pretend that I didn't like the kiss. It was nice, okay? I liked the way it felt—I felt that spark too, and it just... It felt right."

His shock vanished as a smirk spread across his face. "I knew it! You liked it after all. I _told_ you you'd have fun acting like a kid for the night. _And_ I told you that we'd make it to the dinner on time."

My face felt even warmer. "Fine, okay? You were right—_constantly_. But tell anybody about any of this and I'll destroy you."

"I won't; promise," he laughed, taking my hand.

I relaxed and smiled. Hey, Butch had kept all his promises for the day, so why shouldn't I believe him?

"Buttercup... Will you give this blooming romance a chance and become my girlfriend?" he asked.

"...I will," I replied, unable to suppress the warm feeling inside of me. "Jeez, this is mushy. But...it's the right kind of mushy."

"I'll make sure you don't grow up too fast," Butch teased. "Remember, _we're still young so let's make the most of it_."

"And I'll keep you in check," I answered promptly.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

As we stared into each other's eyes while enjoying a peaceful silence, I felt the need to ask a question that had been bugging me for awhile now: "Butch... Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot," he replied.

"What do you want for Christmas?"

Butch laughed, "I would love anything from you for Christmas. I just want it to be a surprise."

"But what do you _really_ want? I don't know what to get you—I mean, I got you _something_, but I'm not sure it's good enough." I pressed. I was referring to the book he'd been reading earlier; with Wendy and a kidnapped Santa and an angry leprechaun. I felt bad about forcing him away from the book before he got to the ending. I figured I might get him something else later too, like cologne.

"There is one thing..." he murmured.

"What is it? I can get you anything you want for this Christmas, as long as it's within my price range. I gotta save money, ya know. Plus—"

"You talk too much," he teased, holding his hands up to stop my rambling. "I'm telling you, get me anything and I'll like it. I'll even like an old sock if it's from you! I swear!"

"...I'm not _that_ cheap." I folded my arms.

Butch chuckled. "I know, BC." He stopped and smiled. "But as I said, besides whatever you're getting me, there is one other thing I'd love to get from you."

"What's that?" I inquired, curious.

He pointed up.

I followed his finger and immediately flushed red. Hanging above us was mistletoe. Whether it was fake or not didn't matter, because it was still freaking mistletoe hanging above our heads.

"That's why I kissed you earlier," he explained, "also because I wanted to calm you down. See your reaction. See how it felt. You looked pretty, so that was a bonus."

"Butch..." I quickly shook my head. "But I don't see what this has to do with—"

"Ah, ah, ah." He covered my mouth with his hand. When he released it, I opened my mouth but closed it again when he started talking: "Something else I want for Christmas..."

I raised an eyebrow. "Go on," I prompted.

"...Would be _another kiss_," he finally finished. He leaned forward. I leaned forward too this time. "Merry Christmas, Buttercup."

"Merry Christmas, Butch." It looked like I would have a date this Christmas after all.

_And then his lips met mine and everything around us faded away again._

* * *

><p><em>I had a couple of references in this story. "Party cannon is a reference to Pinkie Pie, and the "blitz-ard" is a reference to Littlest Pet Shop's episode <strong>"Snow Stormin'"<strong>. ;)_

_So yeah, hope you all liked it~ It was fun but challenging to write; I was worried I wouldn't finish it on time. But I made it!_

_Once again, thanks and have a happy holiday! Love all of you!_

_Don't forget to review~ That would be a nice Christmas present. xD_


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